PFI-TT: Water disinfection using safe and sustainable copper combined with a locally enhanced electric field

这一创新-技术转化伙伴关系(PFI-TT)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是实现更安全、更可持续的水消毒方法，同时最大限度地减少氯及其有害消毒副产品的使用。寻找合适的氯替代品仍然是一个挑战，但使用自然丰富的铜金属可能是解决方案。拟议的创新将铜的天然抗菌特性与低电压、局部增强的电场相结合，以减少铜和电力的消耗，降低年度运营成本，并将消毒副产品降至最低。随着这项技术的成功成熟和商业化，长期目标是成立一家剥离公司，在许多潜在的细分市场(家庭使用点、游泳池和水疗中心、商业热水线路等)制造和提供替代和可持续的水消毒解决方案。将目前与标准氯消毒相关的负面健康影响降至最低。除了这一目标外，所有参与该项目的本科生、研究生和博士后都将获得技术和创业技能，以循证决策和创业精神解决问题，进一步使他们在未来转化创新成果方面取得成功。拟议的项目重点是进一步开发和成熟一种无氯水消毒技术，该技术将当地增强的电场处理和铜离子(Leeft-Cu)的天然生物杀灭作用协同结合起来，以杀灭病原体。这种方法能够以低铜剂量和低电能消耗实现高效的微生物灭活。其基本机制是利用同轴电极配置所产生的增强电场，增加细胞膜对微生物铜摄取的渗透性，从而导致更有效的灭活。这个PFI-TT项目的主要目标是解决通过我们之前的市场研究和客户发现确定的Leeft-Cut技术的知识差距和技术障碍。在这个项目中，我们将1)测试Leeft-Cu对不同微生物的抗菌效率；2)研究水温对Leeft-Cu性能的影响；3)开发策略，允许Leeft-Cu对更高电导率的水有效；4)增加Leeft-Cu设备中铜的加载和利用，以减少在使用中的更换频率和成本；5)通过与行业合作伙伴的试点测试，评估Leeft-Cu的可扩展性和实施情况。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation – Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project are to enable safer, more sustainable approaches to disinfecting water while minimizing the use of chlorine and its harmful disinfection byproducts. It is still a challenge finding suitable alternatives to chlorine, but using naturally abundant copper metal may be the solution. The proposed innovation combines the natural antimicrobial properties of copper with a low voltage, locally enhanced electric field to reduce the consumption of both copper and electricity, cut annual operational cost, and minimize disinfection byproducts. With the successful maturation and commercialization of this technology, the long-term goal is to launch a spin-off company to manufacture and provide alternative and sustainable solutions for water disinfection across many potential market segments (point-of-use at home, swimming pools and spas, commercial hot water lines, etc.) to minimize the negative health impacts currently associated with standard chlorine-based disinfection. Beyond this goal, all undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students involved in the project will gain the technical and entrepreneurial skills to tackle problems with evidence-based decision-making and an entrepreneurial mindset, further enabling their success for translating innovations in the future.The proposed project focuses on the further development and maturation of a chlorine-free water disinfection technology that synergistically combines locally enhanced electric field treatment and the natural biocidal effect of copper ions (LEEFT-Cu) to kill pathogens. This approach enables highly effective microbial inactivation with low copper doses and low electrical energy consumption. The underlying mechanism exploits the enhanced electric field attributed to the coaxial electrode configuration, which increases the permeability of cell membranes for microbial copper uptake, resulting in more efficient inactivation. The main goal of this PFI-TT project is to address knowledge gaps and technical barriers of the LEEFT-Cu technology identified through our previous market research and customer discovery. During this project, we will 1) test the antimicrobial efficiency of LEEFT-Cu for different microorganisms; 2) study the effect of water temperature on the performance of LEEFT-Cu; 3) develop strategies that allow LEEFT-Cu to be effective for water with higher conductivities; 4) increase the loading and utilization of Cu in LEEFT-Cu devices to reduce the in-use replacement frequency and cost; and 5) evaluate the scalability and implementation of LEEFT-Cu through a pilot test with an industry partner.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.